


Making Amends

by MachineryField



Series: Marching to the Beat (of Someone Else's Drum) [2]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Egil (Xenoblade Chronicles) Lives, Gen, Self-Indulgent, minor appearances from the rest of the party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28092456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: When Egil is healthy enough to leave the medbay bed, he’s met with the rest of Shulk’s group. Dunban holds Fiora close to him when he sees him -- understandable and something Egil would have done himself in his position, he’s sure. The Nopon is hopping up and down, seemingly angrily nagging him. And then there’s the Homs woman, Sharla.She slaps him once.(Or: Egil slowly begins to make amends.)
Series: Marching to the Beat (of Someone Else's Drum) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058093
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Making Amends

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote more for this Egil Lives AU, oops!

When Egil is healthy enough to leave the medbay bed, he’s met with the rest of Shulk’s group. Dunban holds Fiora close to him when he sees him -- understandable and something Egil would have done himself in his position, he’s sure. The Nopon is hopping up and down, seemingly angrily nagging him. And then there’s the Homs woman, Sharla.

She slaps him once.

“That’s for Gadolt!”

Another slap, across the other cheek. 

“That’s for Colony 6 and all the others we lost!”

One more, this one stinging the most.

“And that’s for putting your sister through all of that.”

Egil lets the sting of the slaps settle on him before he nods. “Thank you for being honest about your feelings.”

“Bionis knows Shulk and Fiora probably coddled you too much, someone had to do it.” Sharla huffs and looks away, moving a piece of hair behind her ear. “I have half a mind to slap you one more time, but I suppose dying and coming back is worse than anything I could do to you.”

He notices the way her expression softens when she says that and looks towards Shulk. Something the two of them have in common now, he supposes… He’s just glad Shulk has so many to worry over him.

“I suppose I’m not the only one in that position.” He mumbles.

“Just try not to make it a habit.” Sharla gives him a firm pat on the chest and steps away towards Vanea and Dunban, entering a conversation with him.

For a minute, he wants to ask if she’s just saying that to be polite (he would not blame her if that was the case), but the Nopon is slapping his thigh with a fish now so it’s hard to focus on anything but that. Is this normal, he wonders, as he’s told he’s ‘naughty naughty’.

“Come now, Riki.” Linada is quick to scold the Nopon. “Egil just got off of bedrest, no need to put him right back on.”

“Riki think Egil can handle, but…” Riki huffs and allows the Machina doctor to pick him up. “Riki no want to cause Doctor Linada more work, so Riki stop for now.”

“You should save your energy, either way, Riki.” Melia speaks up then. “We’re about to travel into the interior of the Bionis, after all.”

“Going after Zanza, are you?” Egil asks, crossing his arms.

“Yes.” Vanea speaks then. “And I’m planning on going with them.”

Egil feels his breath catch in his throat, fear overwhelming him. So many have been lost to Zanza already, losing his sister would just make it worse. He wants to say something, but his mouth is dry. No words come out, no matter how he tries.

“Egil?” Shulk speaks up, frowning. “Are you alright?”

“I… I’m fine.” He looks away, forcing words out of his mouth. “Just… please, Vanea… Keep her safe.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Dunban speaks up, squeezing Fiora’s shoulders. “Truly, she can take care of herself, if anything.”

“But if you’re worried, you can pull some weight around here so we can focus on helping her.” Sharla speaks, hand on her hip. “We gathered some items to make Shulk new weapons. The more choices he has, the better it’ll be for all of us.”

Egil nods. “That’s the least I could do.”

\--

Egil is working on one of the Replica Monados, waiting for the group to come back when they have a chance, when Miqol clears his throat. He supposes he should have expected this -- there was no way his father (if he could even call him that still) would just leave him be. There was still so much unsaid between them, after all.

He sighs, closing his eyes and taking a moment to prepare himself. “Do you need something, Miqol?”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Egil?” His words are casual, but his tone is tense. “So much time has passed…”

“At least a thousand years, I think.” It’s been hard for him to keep track, really, so it’s just an estimation. Time moves so strangely when isolated, he’s learned.

“A thousand to be exact, yes.” Miqol nods and lets out a hum. “A lot has changed in the time you were gone, you know. Homs living among us, High Entia who won’t turn into Telethia, a new child…”

“Ah, you mean Menyx.” He’s trying to block out most of what Miqol says, but decides to sate his curiosity. “Who is that little one’s parents, by the way? I’d like to know what fool thought our current situation was good to raise a child in.”

“I’m their sole parent.”

Shock runs through Egil’s body and he resists the urge to scream at Miqol for doing something so stupid -- he’s done something even worse so he supposes he has no place to. Instead, he sucks in a deep breath and gives himself a moment to think of what to say in reply. The silence hangs heavy.

“I should have known you’d be the only one foolish enough to do that. Where else would I get my inability to think things through from?”

Miqol lets out one of his annoying chuckles. “Admitting your own faults to insult me, eh, Egil?”

“...Be quiet. I need to finish this Replica before they return.”

“That’s just like you, Egil!” Miqol barks out a laugh. “I really never expected to talk like this again, you know? Truly, I thought that fight at the end would be the last we ever spoke.”

Egil sighs, thinking back on the way he had so wholly rejected his father’s idea. Simply hide away from Zanza and all he had done? Allow the risk of this happening again to grow and fester? 

He knows what he did was unforgivable, and that the rest of his life he’ll have to live with it… But still he cannot seem himself as having been willing to live as the Machina have for so long now. The inaction would have killed him had Zanza not.

He just hopes he can put into action better things now. He’s hurt enough people -- from strangers to those closest to him. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone anymore.

He just hopes he won’t unknowingly.


End file.
